Brian's Freedom

by Fel Fern

  That place left scars that couldn’t be erased easily. His parents didn’t understand how he couldn’t easily move on from something like that. A.J. did, because he was trapped in a hell of his own making.

  Where did being good and careful get him? Nowhere. Brian tasted wild recklessness the moment A.J. crushed his lips with his, and he wanted that, that heady dose of courage.

  “Are you all talk and no action, big wolf?” Brian taunted, marveling at the stranger who wore his face and spoke with his voice.

  A.J. fisted a handful of his shirt, dragging them close. A breath escaped Brian’s lips. Blood surged right to his dick at the sight of A.J.’s golden eyes, so feral and hungry for him.

  “You’re playing with fire, little Omega.”

  “Don’t worry. I want to be burned.”

  A.J. shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Brian let out mirthless laugh. “I’ve been hurt plenty in the last few months. Believe me, this, us, is pure pleasure.”

  “I guess we have nothing else to discuss, then.”

  * * * *

  Seeing Brian Wells slip away from his grasp once again frustrated Jarvis to no end. Worse, Brian went home with a one-armed man bearing the Darkfall Mountain pack tattoo. Crippled or no, Jarvis had seen the flawed shifter scare off another man who’d hit on Brian.

  His day went from bad to shit.

  Jarvis growled under his breath. Seething, he tailed Brian and the one-armed shifter to a residential neighborhood. Jarvis counted himself lucky he hadn’t encountered any other shifter yet, ready to interrogate him about his purpose in town. Paranoia on his part maybe, but it never hurt to be careful.

  He didn’t usually call in for advice, but he was at a crossroads. He might be one hell of a mercenary, but Brian didn’t relish being torn apart by wolves.

  Jarvis enjoyed living, thank you very much. Opening his cell phone, he scrolled to a number he’d been warned only to call in case of emergencies. Never once had he considered calling for help, but he didn’t want to end up being dead, either. The line connected and a female voice answered on the other end. Jarvis usually flirted with a sexy voice on the phone, but he cut to the chase this time around.

  “Connect me to Dr. Adkins.” Jarvis gave the secretary his security clearance.

  “Mr. Paine, I hope you have good news for me.”

  “It’s bad. Brian Wells is with a Darkfall wolf.” Jarvis could hear the doctor—if Adkins, a psycho who took sadistic pleasure in cutting up paranormals, could be called that—let out a heavy sigh.

  “This is unacceptable, Mr. Paine. Frankly, it’s a disappointment, given you’ve been recommended numerous times by my colleagues. According to our tests, this particular Omega is very fertile, perfect for our forced mating experimentations. Most of the male Omegas we’ve tested didn’t survive the first round. I think this one will fare better.”

  Pissed, Jarvis hardened his jaw. “I’m only updating you with the status. I know how much this Omega means to you. Give me another chance. I’ll bag him for you.”

  Silence on the other end. Jarvis began to think he was screwed. Alpine Industries was his biggest client, and he couldn’t afford to lose them. He’d resort to any means to capture this fucking Omega and cash in his reward.

  “Very well, Mr. Paine. I’m giving you one more chance, but I’m sending you backup.”

  Jarvis glowered at the latest news. A partner meant a fifty-fifty split of his profits, but remembering where he was, surrounded in a town that hated Alpine Industries and all the company represented, Jarvis could play ball.

  “Fine.”

  “My secretary, Julia, will ring you again with the details. Oh, and I have something that may come in use to you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The lab’s latest formula. Take it and you’ll be able to possess a shifter’s strengths and abilities for an hour or two, depending on the dosage.”

  Jarvis frowned. “It sounds too good to be true, and why are you giving it to me for free?”

  “Let’s just say it’s a sample, a freebie.”

  Jarvis clenched his jaw. “You’re using me as a guinea pig?”

  “I’ll leave it up to you, whether you choose to use the formula or not. Good luck, Mr. Paine.”

  Jarvis cut the line. He rolled down his windows to glare at the apartment building where Brian and the flawed shifter were probably fucking like animals. Maybe Jarvis ought to get a taste of Brian to see what the fuck the fuss was all about. Jarvis had certainly earned it, being on this damn assignment. With a partner, things might just get easier after all. If Brian ended up staying in that werewolf’s apartment, Jarvis and his new partner would wait by the hideout in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. Jarvis used that place back when Alpine Industries still ran their labs here, because he couldn’t exactly check into an inn.

  With a grin, Jarvis leaned back against his seat and waited for the long night to pass.

  Chapter Five

  “Kiss me again, A.J.,” Brian pleaded. “Please. I want your mouth on mine again.”

  Brian had never been this forward in his life. It was exhilarating, thinking about the naughty things A.J. could do to his body. A.J. claimed he felt like half a man, but not a lot of men would come to a random stranger’s rescue, or were capable of being considerate and sweet.

  A.J. didn’t reply. Grasping the back of Brian’s neck, A.J. claimed his mouth and, once more, Brian yielded to his demanding lips. A.J. tasted like fire, like heat capable of incinerating everything in its path. Whatever happened after tonight, even if things didn’t work out, Brian could die happy.

  A.J. began undoing the buttons of Brian’s shirt. Brian helped him along, mouth still held captive by A.J. A.J. tore his mouth from Brian and began kissing his way down his neck, lingering on a particular spot where Brian knew A.J. could put his mate mark and make Brian his, until death parted them. Werewolves mated for life, and once A.J. bound their souls, being mates was more sacred and profound than any wedding bonds.

  Brian’s spine tingled with excitement. A.J.’s mouth felt so good on the side of his neck, licking and sucking the spot. Despite the logical part of his brain screaming at him to push A.J. aside, the other half of him, the primal side, dared A.J. to do it, to bind them for life. For those few, cloying moments, Brian could imagine how it would be, being with a fierce but sweet protector like A.J.

  They would be perfect for each other, damaged by one singular incident in their lives, but made whole by each other. A.J. might be a stranger he’d reunited with, but Brian could imagine waking up next to A.J. every morning and spooning against him contently. He could live here, in Darkfall, find a job here, and they could move to a bigger apartment, get a dog, and do all the normal things happy couples did.

  “I won’t do this to you,” A.J. whispered, probably more to himself than Brian, but Brian heard it nonetheless.

  Brian refused to show his disappointment, though, when A.J. moved away from the spot. He forgot all about his frustration when A.J. took his left nipple in his mouth and applied suction until the bud hardened. Feeling A.J.’s teeth on the sensitive flesh, Brian speared his fingers through A.J.’s hair, not to stop him, but to encourage him.

  He never thought he’d like a bit of pain to his pleasure, but he did. Was that odd, given where he’d spent the last few months? A.J. didn’t judge or comment, he bit at his nipple until Brian cried out. A.J. licked at the mark, and Brian’s cheeks flushed with color. Come tomorrow, he’d love bearing A.J.’s bite under his clothes, like their own intimate little secret. With the mark, it made it easier to imagine how it would be, belonging to A.J.

  Brian’s heart thumped when A.J.’s hand reached the button of his jeans. He grabbed A.J.’s hand. “Wait, please. I want to do something for you.”

  A.J. raised an eyebrow, but his expression turned to surprise and then pleasure when Brian knelt between his legs. Brian stared at the huge bulge in A.J.’s jeans. He’d
never given a blowjob in his entire life, but he’d do his best.

  “I haven’t done anything like this before, so tell me if I’m doing something wrong,” Brian mumbled, reaching for A.J.’s fly. He swallowed when A.J. grasped his fingers, lifted them to his mouth, and kissed them.

  “I will.”

  Smiling shyly, Brian unzipped A.J.’s pants and pulled out his dick. His eyes widened at the massive girth. Brian had never seen anything so big in his life.

  “Brian.”

  Recovering from his initial shock, Brian went to work. Curling his hand over A.J.’s base, he put his mouth close to A.J.’s tip. He flicked his tongue over the pre-cum there. So that was what A.J. tasted like. Swirling his tongue over the cockhead made A.J. groan. Brian had never heard a more erotic sound in his entire life. Who knew giving head gave him such unexpected power?

  Opening his jaws wider, Brian took A.J.’s dick between his lips. Brian gagged at first, unused to a cock in his mouth, but he managed to continue. Shifting his hand downward, Brian squeezed A.J.’s balls. Hearing A.J.’s moan of pleasure, he continued applying pressure to his balls while he bobbed his head up and down.

  A.J. wove his fingers into Brian’s hair, and Brian liked that, too.

  “Brian, I need to take over.”

  Brian pulled his mouth from A.J.’s cock and nodded. He held his mouth open while A.J. fucked his mouth with careful and steady strokes. Hearing the sounds coming from A.J. made his own prick thicken with need.

  “Touch yourself,” A.J. ordered.

  Reaching for his shaft, Brian began pumping his dick. A.J. let out a shudder and Brian knew A.J. was close. Pushing his dick into Brian’s mouth one last time, A.J. exploded, squirting strings of his sticky, warm cum down Brian’s throat. Brian took it all, not spilling a drop.

  A.J. reaching climax triggered Brian’s own. Brian whimpered around A.J.’s mouth as his cum coated his hand. Wrung out but feeling satisfied, Brian settled on a more comfortable sitting position, his back pressed against A.J.’s legs. A.J. stroked his hair and Brian felt him bending his head and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  A.J.’s voice was warm against his ear. “I don’t want to fuck you here, pup.”

  “Where?”

  “Bed.”

  A.J. helped him to his feet and led him to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “I’m getting a washcloth to clean us up,” A.J. said.

  Disappearing into the bathroom, A.J. came back with a cloth, and he cleaned them both up. The gesture seemed intimate somehow, and by the time A.J. finished, Brian’s cock was awake again, eager for more. Seeing his dick at half-mast, A.J. chuckled.

  “Looks like my pup has some energy left.”

  My pup. Oh, Brian wanted nothing more than to belong to A.J., but he didn’t dare tell A.J. aloud, for fear of scaring him away.

  “Strip, I want to see the rest of you,” A.J. said, nodding to his bottoms.

  Brian kicked off his shoes and couldn’t get out of his jeans and boxers fast enough. It was then he was aware of A.J., still half-dressed, looking at him like he was the most desirable thing on earth. Brian’s skin felt hot again, and he couldn’t wait for A.J. to put his hands and mouth on his body again.

  “Can I see you, too?” Brian asked.

  A.J. got out of his jeans in record-time, impressive for a guy with one arm. Walking up to Brian, A.J. gave his chest a gentle push. Brian’s nipple flared with pain from A.J.’s bite just moments before. Laying on his back, Brian looked up at A.J. Some fear must have shown in his eyes, because A.J. said, “Relax, pup. Hurting you is the last thing I’ll do.”

  “I know,” Brian whispered. “That’s why I’m afraid.”

  A.J. frowned at his words. “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing.” Brian shook his head, cursing himself for being so indecisive. “Aren’t you going to ride me?”

  “Damn, Brian. You’re really one of a kind.”

  A.J. walked over to the drawer by the side of the bed and pulled out a tube of lube. Shifters didn’t catch anything, and Brian wanted to feel A.J. taking him bareback.

  “Is that a good or bad thing?” Brian asked.

  A.J. returned to the edge of the bed. “Definitely good.”

  Parting Brian’s legs, A.J. hefted them over his shoulders. It made Brian aware of how intimate this position was. Brian wasn’t a virgin. He’d been with one man, Tom, an ex-boyfriend who lost interest after he admitted his preference to stay indoors after his captivity.

  Losing Tom didn’t hurt as Brian initially thought it would, and besides, their relationship had been heading downhill even before he was captured. Brad didn’t make his body react and heart race the way A.J. did, though. Brian knew he was in danger of falling hard and fast for A.J., but he didn’t care.

  “A.J., please.”

  “What do you want, pup?” A.J. asked, amused.

  A.J. applied the lube on his fingers, and more down Brian’s crack. Brian moaned when he slipped one finger in, then a second, stretching him for his access.

  “I want your dick in my ass.”

  A.J. withdrew his fingers and then put one in again, curling it. Brian gasped when A.J. reached his sweet spot.

  “Crude and direct. I like it, pup.”

  “If you like it so much, then come and claim me.” It still shocked Brian he was capable of being so bold with A.J. This new him took getting used to, but Brian liked being this new person who knew exactly what he wanted, and it was A.J.

  A.J. took his fingers out. After applying more lube in his opening, A.J. positioned his cockhead into his puckered hole. “Ready?”

  Brian nodded. A.J. gripped his hip, and began hammering into him, slow and easy, no doubt until Brian got used to his size.

  “God,” Brian whispered.

  Every inch A.J. put in him made him clench his internal muscles around A.J.’s dick.

  “Fuck. You’re so tight, pup. Relax. I’ll make you feel good soon.”

  Brian breathed in and out until A.J. sheathed himself all the way inside, his balls brushing against Brian’s ass.

  “We good, pup?” A.J. asked.

  “You’re so big, I can feel you in me,” Brian said, smiling.

  A.J. blanketed his body over Brian’s and kissed him briefly on the lips. “Are you ready for me to move?”

  “Yes.”

  A.J. began pistoning in and out of him, eventually finding a steady rhythm. The initial burn faded and soon gave way to pleasure. A.J. felt amazing. Brian’s and A.J.’s wolves nuzzled and rubbed against each other. Each time their bodies came together, it felt like their souls were connected as well.

  “A.J.,” Brian murmured. “Faster, please.”

  Complying, A.J. picked up speed, his thrusts going deeper, breaching places no one had touched before. A.J. reduced them both to panting messes. Needing something to hold onto, Brian locked his arms around A.J.’s neck, but A.J. didn’t seem to mind.

  A.J. shifted the angle of his thrusts and hit Brian’s prostate. Throwing his head back, Brian arched his back and let out a gasp. Grinning, A.J. aimed for the spot repeatedly, nearly driving Brian to the edge. A.J. was on his haunches, Brian clinging to him with every thrust. He reached for Brian’s cock and began gliding his fist up and down his dick.

  “Come for me, pup. Do it now, all over my fingers.”

  Brian whimpered. Head reeling, mouth screaming, he exploded, cum coating A.J.’s fingers. A.J. sent his mind flying. A.J. pushed into him several times before letting out a triumphant growl and shooting his load into Brian’s waiting ass.

  “Fuck,” A.J. said after, collapsing against him.

  “Yeah, it was damn amazing,” Brian whispered. He felt languid and completely content. He reached out, stroking A.J.’s muscled back. “We should do that again, soon.”

  “Count on it, pup,” A.J. said against his ear.

  They lay there for a couple of minutes before A.J. got back on his feet. “Let’s clean up in the shower.”

>   Brian grasped his extended hand and let A.J. lead him to the shower. Did that mind-blowing sex really just happen? Feeling sluggish, Brian felt A.J.’s amazing hand soaping and then washing him. The next thing he knew, A.J. was toweling him and Brian was back in his bed, happily snuggling close.

  A.J. automatically pulled him into an embrace, like Brian belonged there all this time.

  “This feels nice,” Brian murmured. His eyelids drooped, but for once, he wasn’t afraid to sleep. Tonight, Brian knew nightmares wouldn’t touch him, not with A.J. so close by. “I don’t want this night to ever end.”

  “It doesn’t have to.”

  Brian didn’t argue. Sometimes, it was good to pretend.

  Chapter Six

  A.J. woke to the sound of an unfamiliar moan. No, not unfamiliar. Opening his eyes to slits, A.J.’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of Brian snuggled next to him, so close A.J. could lean over and kiss the sexy Omega. A.J. didn’t want to wake Brian, though, not when he looked so fucking adorable. Throughout the night, A.J. realized he kept his arm banded around Brian, as if terrified he would slip away from his grasp.

  Recalling last night’s passion, A.J. smiled. Hearing his cell phone vibrate on the dresser, he groaned. He could stay like this all day, with Brian tucked next to him and holding onto him like a lifeline, but it was A.J. who needed Brian more.

  Maybe they needed each other.

  Brian had been hesitant last time, refusing to believe what they had couldn’t go beyond a one-night stand, but A.J. knew differently. Last night, he’d known Brian was the one and only man to complete him. A.J.’s phone sounded again. Loath to part with Brian, A.J. wanted to ignore it, but it might be pack business.

  Carefully, A.J. untangled himself from Brian. In his absence, A.J. gave Brian a pillow to hug. Grinning at the sight of Brian wrapping his arms and legs around that pillow, wishing it was him, A.J. got around to checking his phone.

  There were plenty of missed calls from a number A.J. thought never to see again.